Mortar retainer for building blocks



May 6, 1924. 1,492,852 D, e. JOHNSTON MORTAR RETAINER F OR BUILDING BLOCKS Filed June 15. 1922 z g a I l 16 n L I I .F "a

Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED STATES DAVID G. JOHNSTON, OF CLAYWORKS, IOWA.

MORTAR RETAINER FOR BUILDING BLOCKS.

Application filed June 15, 1922. Serial No. 568,369.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID G. JOHNSTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Clayworks, in the county of WVebster and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Mortar Retainerfor Building Blocks, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to improvements in devices for retaining the mortar within the joints between two adjacent hollow building blocks, such as used in wall constructions. Considerable difficulty has been experienced in the past in laying that type of building blocks which are formed hollou and provided with comparatively thin walls, due to the fact that the ends of the walls of the two adjoining blocks are comparatively thin, and it is difficult to place the mortar in between the, said ends without too much of it running within the hollow portion of the blocks, which increases the expense of the wall construction.

Further, considerable difliculty has been experienced in retaining the mortar between the said ends after it has become dried due to the faot'that the bond between the said mortar and the ends'of the blocks is not very great and the thin layer of mortar sometimes falls out and especially if the wall settles slightly.

It is, therefore, the object of my invention to provide a device of simple, durable and inexpensive construction which maybe inserted in the hollow spaces of the blocks near the adjoining ends, in such a'manner that when'mortar is placed between the ends of thebloeks, it will not fall out or be squeezed into the hollou portions of the blocks before it is dried.

A further object is to provide means to assist in retaining the mortar between the ends of two adjoining building blocks after the said mortar has become dried, even if the bond between the mortar and the ends of the blocks should become broken.

A further object is to provide means to assist in spacing the blocks as they are being laid.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims,

and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: 7

Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved device.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of two building blocks arranged as they would be laid in a wall showing the manner in which my improved device is applied thereto before the mortar is placed in position.

Figure 3 is a detail, sectional View taken on the line 33 of Figure 2; and

F igure 4 is a detail, sectional view taken on the line 44 ofFigure 2.

My improved device comprises a threesided member which is formed of thin sheet metal and provided with a front member 10 and side members 11.

The front member 10 is provided with a notch 12 in its upper and lower edges, each of the side members 11 having their. free ends pointed at 15, and its top edge provided with an upwardly extending flange 14, and its bottom edge with a downwardly extending flange 15. Each of these flanges is of a width substantially equal to the thickness of the mortar joint of a wall. The

free end of eaclrof the flanges 14 and 15 Assuming that the block 18 has been laid in the wall and it is desired to place the block 19 in. position adjacent thereto, the operator grasps one of the mortar retainers and inserts the pointed ends 13 into the opening of the block 18, until the flanges 14 and 15 engage the ends of the blocks. These flanges 14 and 15 are mounted in a vertical position. The block 19 is then grasped and placed in alinement with the block 18 and moved endways toward the block 18 with its opening over the front plate 12 until the ends of the block rest against the members 14 and 15. 1

Thus it will be seen that the movement of the block 19 is limited toward t-hevblock 18 by means ot the flanges 14 and 15, and thus provide means whereby the mason quickly spaces the blocks, and also alines them laterally, due to the fact that the walls 11 hold the blocks in lateral alinement. He then forces the mortar into the spaces between the ends of the walls of the blocks and adjacent to the outer faces of the members 11. A portion of the mortar will be crowded back of the members 17 which will leave the said members 17 embedded in the mortar. as clearly shown in Figures 3 and t, and between the curved portions 16. The mortar may also flow between the abutting ends of the inner wall 20 of the double type of block, the inner walls 11 or". the retainer preventing it from running into the openings of the blocks.

T he notches 12 are provided in the upper edge of the "front member 10 so the said front member may be inserted easily within the blocks even if projections extend inwardly, caused by cutting the blocks in two when in a plastic condition.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a simple device which when placed in position, as above described, will enable the mason to quickly and accurately lay blocks to form a wall, and which will eflect a considerable saving in mortar, due to the fact that none of it is permitted to run on the inside of the hollow blocks. This saving alone is almost suflicient to pay for the retainers.

It will also be seen that after the mortar has become set and dried, it the bond be tween the mortar and blocks should become broken, the said strips of mortar will not fall out or become loosened.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mortar retainer for building blocks "formed of a single piece of sheet metal having a front and parallel side members, each of said side members being provided with a mortar retaining tongue, each of the upper and lower edges of said side members being prmided with a flange of a width equal to the width of the mortar joint, and of a height slightly less than the thickness of the wall of the block.

2. A mortar retainer for hollow building blocks formed of comparatively thin metal having a front and side members, each of said side members being provided with at spacing flange, and also provided with mortar retaining toi'ignes in alineinent with said flanges.

3. A mortar retainer for hollow building blocks formed of a bendable material comprising parallel side members spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between two opposite walls of a building block, of a width equal to the distance between the other two opposite walls of said block, and provided with means for holding said members in fixed relation with each other, each of said side members being provided with a block spacing flange.

a. A mortar retainer for hollow building blocks formed of a bendable material comprising parallel side members spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between two opposite walls of a building block, of a width equal to the distance between the other two opposite walls of said block, and provided with means for holding said members in fixed relation with each other, each of said side members being provided with block spacing flanges, each of said flanges being provided at its end with a curved portion, the said side members also being provided with a mortar retaining tongue in alinement with the said flanges, the free ends of each of said side members being pointed.

5. A mortar retainer comprising parallel side members, and a front member, said front member having its upper and lower edges provided with a notch, each of said side edges being provided with spacing flanges and mortar retainin tongues.

Des Moines, Iowa, April 1 1922.

DAVID G. JOHNSTON. 

